This was a speech—respectful, restrained—that Ehud Olmert should have delivered long ago. Right after the Second Lebanon War, some will say. Right after Talansky’s testimony, others will say, or after the Olmertours scandal broke. …
But the Olmert who spoke on Wednesday from the garden of his compound in Jerusalem was a crushed and battered man, tainted by allegations, lacking public trust or a sympathetic ear. Thus his destiny was determined. …
The achievements he noted in the speech—economic, military and social—are indeed commendable. If it weren’t for the war in Lebanon and the investigations against him, he could have been remembered as one of Israel’s better and more effective prime ministers.
Today, such a description sounds strange—an Olmert without the Lebanon war and the investigations hardly seems like Olmert. To his great sadness, it is those things we will remember about him—regrettable new expressions like "money envelopes" and "Rishon Tours" will remain with us long after he is not. Access the full article>>
